Cold rain poured from the sky as heaven wept. Flashes of light accompanied the rumbling clouds. An explosive boom resounded throughout the forest as heaven unleashed its fury on the world below. The weak monsters trembled in fear while the strong eyed the sky warily.

Rivulets of rain spilled down the curves of my body, landing on the boulder underneath me. Nature’s chill tried to rob my body of its warmth, but the fire running through my veins proved to be much stronger.

I would have frozen to death as Asta Ashford, but now this rain was nothing more than a cool, comfortable shower. I had changed beyond belief since those days.

“Detailed Status.”

A sharp, cold voice that was unthinkable on Asta Ashford interrupted the pitter patter of rain. As I had grown used to, a familiar blue screen appeared in my vision.

Name: Fang

Gender: Female

Race: 9 Tailed Fox Beastman

Class: Adept

Level: 20/20

Personal Skills (4/5): [Ash Demon Princess], [Fox Fire III], [Naked], [Ki III]

Racial Skills: [Instinct IV], [Agility III], [Strength II], [Taming I]

Class Skills: [Adept], [Growth II]

I used to hate looking at my detailed status because of what I saw in the gender column, but seeing my gender as female no longer bothered me.

At last, I reached the limits of reincarnation. No matter how many times I reincarnated, my status remained unchanged. Similar to how Ash became a Demon Princess with 4 racial skills, I was now a 9 Tailed Fox Beastman with 4 racial skills of my own.

[Fox Fire] flowed through my veins. Manipulating it was as easy as breathing. If I wanted, I could coat my body in flames and evaporate all the raindrops before they touched me. Instead, I did nothing and let nature take its course.

The line between man and beast blurred the higher my [Instinct] skill got. Talking with people, wearing clothes, and all the other little rituals people did helped keep Beastman from getting swallowed by their instincts.

Naked and alone, I had nothing but my memories to anchor my sense of self. A lot of the human rituals were impossible for a person in the wilderness to perform alone. Taking a shower was a very human thing to do, so I relished the opportunity to feel like a person again.

The stronger the race of a Beastman, the closer they got to becoming a beast. It was no coincidence that the two highest races were called Elder Beast and Ancient Beast, or that the racial skill of an Ancient Beast was [Beastification].

The pouring rain drowned out the sound of my sigh. Perhaps it was a good thing my reincarnation ended where it did. I wasn’t confident I would be able to fight off my [Instinct] if I advanced any further.

Even though advancing this far had its own risks, the rewards were well worth it. My eyes fell on my newest racial skill.

“...[Taming], huh?”

In the end, it just wasn’t possible for me to reach the same level as the Six-tailed Red Fox. At best, I was at the same level as the other territory lords in this dungeon. With my newest skill, I didn’t necessarily have to be at the same level as the boss of the dungeon.

Just like my time with Ash, I could gather up a group of powerful allies and sweep through the dungeon. If I was lucky, I would find an exit. If I was unlucky, then my allies and I could tackle the Six-tailed Red Fox together.

I already had a candidate in mind. The wolf pack that cornered me on the first day was still trying to expand their territory, but they were encountering fierce resistance from the other territory lords.

“What should I do..?”

I muttered, returning to the situation that had me sitting on this rock in the middle of a storm. It had been a few days since I last reincarnated and I had been torn by indecision ever since.

I had one free skill slot. I could either choose a skill that increased my own personal strength, or I could choose a skill that improved the strength of all of my allies. In the end, [Instinct] and [Gluttony] decided for me.

As was quickly becoming a life rule for me, I at least wanted to eat a good meal before I died. That wish, combined with the strength boost a well cooked meal granted, led me to pick up the [Cooking] skill.

In the best case scenario, I would be able to tame monsters with food. Worst case scenario, I could beat them into submission.

In fact, that is exactly what I did on the weak monsters in my territory. Both [Cooking] and [Taming] grew by leaps and bounds under the guidance of my Adept class. Taming monsters was an interesting experience that differed greatly from forming a [Contract] with them.

There was no link or innate form of communication between us. Instead, I gained a vague familiarity with my tamed monsters that allowed me to interpret their actions and convey my own intentions to them.

Rather than a master and servant relationship, it was more like a partnership between two different parties. I had to win their loyalty or force them into submission. If I tried to make them do something that went against their interests, it was very likely for my tamed monsters to abandon me.

Heh. I truly had become a princess that ruled my own little territory in this dungeon. I gathered up the various elite monsters in my territory and beat them into submission. A few days later, I left my territory for the first time and entered into the territory of the wolf pack.